Author: maggie

and Jack bravely weathered them in the comfort & security of the dryer.

Hello to all! It’s been a little while since we’ve updated- I hope you’re all doing well. This past weekend we went to meet our new cousin Adam. We had a blast meeting the little guy- although I’m not sure Wilson even knew he was there. He spotted the “big truck” in Adam’s room at about 12:45 am when we arrived and was hooked on that for the rest of the weekend. We did get to test out Adam’s park and Uncle Andy practiced his Kung Fu moves on Wilson while he was in the swing- I wish I had a video of it. I don’t know who had a better time. We also got to give the nursery at Adam’s church a test drive while aunt Ashley was baptized. Wilson was not impressed at first, but when we picked him up he had, again, found a truck and was also playing with a tiger and giraffe and had recovered nicely from the initial trauma! I got to return the trauma by taking baby Adam’s temperature- how shall I say it- through the back door. Something I didn’t realize his parents hadn’t done before. Adam made it through just fine, but I’m not sure that his daddy did. We are shown below with our new nephew/cousin.

We have been enjoying great weather here over the past few days. We went to the park earlier today before having lunch with Pat Pat and our aunts. Last night we had a great family walk and we spent yesterday afternoon collecting pine cones and monkey grass berries in Granna’s back yard.

Another highlight of the past few days is Wilson starting his very own Super Secret Spy School. It has long been known that he was a double agent of some sort, and now it’s great to know that he’s passing on the know how of his skills to others. 007 may have had some pretty nifty gadgets, but he’s got nothing on the puzzle piece phone- Wilson is shown to the left teaching his Nanny the in’s and out’s of this impressive piece of technology. Look for satellite schools in your area soon!

Well- the tornados are here finally. Wilson is napping and I better go get everything done that requires electricity while we still have it. I guess I also better get to the store. We heard last night on the Discovery Channel that when people are stocking up on supplies for bad weather, Wal-Mart sells out of beer and pop tarts first, and we are fresh out of BOTH! Till next time. . .

We would all like to give a BIG thanks to our Granna. She played with Wilson for several hours yesterday while mom did a month’s worth of cleaning and errands. (And all the people said . . . AMEN!) What a hero! She even managed to get a two hour nap out of him (something that has not happened in days). It looks like this has helped to push the sleep “reset” button on our little insomniac. As I type, he is taking the first nap in his bed since last Friday. He has also almost slept through the night two nights in a row. He woke up last night freezing because I had left the fan on. So we snuggled up on the sofa in one of his fleecy blankets and he fell back asleep. I was even able to get him back into his bed with out too much protest.

What’s next on our superhero’s list. Why, she’s keeping the dogs while we take a quick trip up to Franklin. Another HUGE thanks. We are going to get to meet our new cousin Adam and see our Aunt Ashley be baptized. We’re so excited! I’m pleased to say Jack & Tate both had a bath this morning and their beds were washed yesterday- now if they’re behavior at Super Granna’s can be as sweet smelling!

Hopefully we’ll have lots of pictures to post after our getaway- maybe we’ll even get some of the cousins doing some itsy bitsy yoga!

Love to all!!

Does anyone know the disciplinary protocol for finding your child trying to shove a fist full of doggie poo into the little hole where you put the key to turn on the gas to the fire place? I wasn’t sure if this was more of a verbal reprimand situation or a time out. I couldn’t find this category in the Happiest Toddler on the Block or The Baby Whisperer Answers All Your Questions (if she was still alive- I’d let her know she missed a few of mine!)

Thanks!

Today Wilson and I went to our very first Itsy Bitsy Yoga class! It was lots of fun and a great way to meet a few new friends. Wilson was, as usual, a little intimidated when faced with the fact that other children exist and were in a confined space with him. But he did let loose a little and try a few poses and actually smiled and laughed at a few of them. I think he’s really going to enjoy it once he warms up to being around other people. I went on and bought the book and signed up for future classes. Between now and our next class we can look through the book and practice some of the things we learned today so we can get more “up to speed” before next week. It was so cute to watch all the little “yogis” go into a pose when the teacher called one out. It’s amazing what they can learn and retain at such a young age. You’re supposed to call out a pose in a sing-songy voice and help them into it. Wilson’s favorite right now is Lampa- go figure. This is the yoga word for “jump”. He walks around bouncing, sort of bending at the knee saying “bomp-bomp, bomp-bomp”, laughing the whole time. It’s too much fun!
Namaste.

Tonight I’d like to use some of my prized web real estate to blog about some of my favorite things about Wilson. While there are many- they tend to get overshadowed by the messes he makes and gets himself into. There are also times when this toddling tyrant wobbles around pointing a pudgy finger at no one in particular, handing out orders in his own foreign language. It’s at these times that I think, “So this is what Hitler would have looked like, had he been about a foot shorter, worn suits with snaps up the inseam, and been, well, Aryan.”

However, there’s so many other times that he brings more joy than I could have expected. I am always amazed at what we don’t have to teach him. Earlier I mentioned how you don’t have to teach “sneaky”. But we also didn’t have to teach him to love. Hand Wilson any plush toy and he immediately puts his head on it, “loving” it. He tries to “love” the hard plastic animals that came with his farm set. He loves his cars & gucks. He also continually tries to “love” Jack even though he has changed Jack’s name to “Grrrrrrr” because growling is all he ever hears come out of the dog.

We didn’t have to teach him to be funny, but you can’t be around him for long before he has you in stitches. He has genuinely figured out humor, and knows what is going to make his mom and dad laugh out loud.

We didn’t have to teach him to smile, giggle, and say “men-men” (Amen) when his dad finishes the blessing, but I’m sure glad he does. It’s heart warming. We didn’t have to teach him to say “Hi-O” when he drops something. Okay, so we did teach him that, but it’s a welcome break from the typical “ah-o” that you here from every other kid. (and dang funny if I do say so myself!)

We have had several sleepless nights lately- I’m very fearful that he’s trying to give up his afternoon nap (he didn’t take one at all today). Last night he woke up around midnight and I rocked him for a little while before heading to the guest room with him. Around 3am, with his head on my knee cap and his foot in my mouth (and Tate on one of my legs & Jack on top of Wilson- all of a sudden Wilson’s not so evil when he’s a ticket onto the bed), I woke up and moved him to his bed. He of course woke up and began ranting and raving about how he didn’t need to go back to bed. He’d had 3 hours of sleep- he was good. At this point, I had had enough togetherness- I shut the door and went back to the guest bed and snuggled in with the dogs.

However, earlier- at midnight, I was kind of relishing the time I had with him. If he never had sleepless nights, I’d never get to hold him. He’s never been much of a cuddly baby and has never let anyone but his dad rock him. So, if a night or two with no sleep now and then means I get to hold the little tyrant in his baby blue train footy pajamas so be it. We’re going to have to work on the nap thing though. That’s when I take my shower and there are only so many days in a row I can go with no shower!

I have found the solution. Simply have your toddler smear a bowl of oatmeal all over his shirt, peel said shirt inside out over his head, put it through a wash, rinse, and spin, and then dry. When the shirt is removed from the dryer and turned right side out, you’ll have that oatmeal miniaturized and crispified (most will be stuck to the shirt, but watch the floor because plenty will spill all over there, too). This makes a great topping for yogurt or fruit cobblers/crisps. Or you could just put the shirt back on the young chap and send him into the yard as the ultimate earth friendly bird feeder.

This discovery was made after doing laundery after the “I don’t want to eat oatmeal with a spoon” incident. My washer and dryer have never been so fiber rich!

We would like to thank Pat Pat and Paw for keeping Wilson tonight so that we could go to a movie at the new Grandview! I am pleased to say that we passed the dress code with flying colors and rather enjoyed Match Point. Unfortunately, as I type he is hurling insults at me over the monitor- something about “outright defiance of his clear request to not go to bed. He was quite comfortable in the four poster, queen from which we aroused him, and this Jenny Lynn is just not up to snuff.” Guess it’s time to try out the old- “I’ll be right back…”

. . . really, I don’t need a nap. I’m not even a little tired. I promise I won’t through a fit when the animal crackers run out in Target & I’ll behave like a complete gentlemen when you tell me I can’t pull every book off the shelves in Borders. But, really, no, ahhhhh, nap. I’m not even the, ahhhhhhhhhh, slightest bit- zzzzzzzzzzz.